As we mark the 2018 international day International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation we need to accelerate efforts of raising awareness and encourage concrete actions to stop the harmful practice.

Mũkoma wa Ngũgi explores a redefinition of what ‘icon’ means in the African context, the unearthing of names that are all too often forgotten, the invisibility of female icons in our historical narratives, and the nature and role of the diaspora in our cultural, political and economic production

A sellout is someone who betrays his own principles and his followers for personal venality. Where is the evidence that South Africa's Mandela betrayed himself and deceived his countrymen for self-gain?

Nigerian businessman and impresario Paul Okoye organised one of the most impressive showcase of African and Afrobeats talent in the inaugural One Africa Music Fest at the Barclays Center Arena in Brooklyn, New York City.

We all enjoy sex but we don’t really talk about it – one reason that the topic of sextech is so emotionally charged. Artificial intelligence has boldly entered the global (and, more recently, the African) sex market, bringing with it a revolution in robotic sextech designed to provide sexual gratification that is eerily almost human.

The impression that Intimate partner violence (IPV) only occurs in heterosexual relationships where the man is stereotypically the aggressor is a false and dated idea. Lesbian women can, in fact, be perpetrators and victims of this form of violence.

Taking a drug normally prescribed to treat AIDS as a way to shield against the deadly disease; known as PrEP; is catching on, and proponents hope that it will soon have a measurable impact in reducing the number of infections.

The Lives of Great Men a memoir by Frankie Edozien is Nigeria’s first book about LGBTQ Life. Edozien, a lecturer at the New York University captured the lives of gay men on the continent and the challenges they face. Edozien is the first Nigerian to write a nonfiction book on being a gay man.

Despite the work being done to raise awareness in society about sex workers as people worthy of respect, they are often still treated as lepers. Why is it that we only seem capable of an empathetic response once older women enter the ‘world’s oldest profession’? asks Lineo Segoete

African feminist activists should be the reference point from which we hear about girls’ educations across the continent. Three activists from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zambia discuss strategies that they have implemented to promote girls’ and young women’s education in their respective countries.

A sellout is someone who betrays his own principles and his followers for personal venality. Where is the evidence that South Africa's Mandela betrayed himself and deceived his countrymen for self-gain?

The definition of democracy on the continent has been restricted to holding elections. Many African leaders forget that protests and online dissent is very much part of democracy. Elections are just a part of democracy, and democracy entails a full spectrum of economic, social and political freedoms, which include citizens' rights to protest and express their voices and concern.

Funerals honour the life of the deceased. Nigeria’s elaborate and expensive funerals are rooted in history and are not unique to that country. But, says Cosmic Yoruba, the high costs and expectations surrounding these events can place a strain on the wallet and the emotions

Our liberation icons remain important – warts and all. They do not need to fade from our continental consciousness of liberation struggle history, nor from the struggles that are continually faced in contemporary times.

Zimbabweans have been celebrating Robert Mugabe's demise but the new administration could fail to bring change. The opposition and civic groups urgently need to regroup and intensify the fight for reforms in the electoral, media and security sectors to ensure holistic change.

Mũkoma wa Ngũgi explores a redefinition of what ‘icon’ means in the African context, the unearthing of names that are all too often forgotten, the invisibility of female icons in our historical narratives, and the nature and role of the diaspora in our cultural, political and economic production

UN Resident Coordinator Siddharth Chatterjee has one of those CVs that will blow you away. Sneak a peek at his Twitter bio and you will see what we are talking about. Ex Indian Special Forces. Ex Red Cross. Princeton alumnus. And a presiding don of the opinion pages at Huffington Post and Reuters. We’re sure you see what we are talking about. He’s a man worth paying attention to. We’re glad he recently spared a few minutes to sit down for an interview with Dr Diana Wangari who brings us the scoop.

Good career advice is hard to come by. Fortunately for all of us, Dr Jacqueline M. Applegate, the subject of a new interview on This Is Africa has it in spades. “In order to excel in your career, my advice is to be 100% committed to figuring out how to make your dreams a reality. Take the cards you’ve been dealt, play your hand well, and enjoy the journey!”

The Arterial Network recently launched an ambitious programme that aims to create social change through cultural action and cultural policy in four African cities. Sophia Olivia Sanan spoke to five of the organisation’s members to find out more.

The African continent is going through a political renaissance unlike any we have seen in some time. Zimbabwe recently had a coup, which was not really a coup. Kenya has two emergent leaders claiming power, South Africa's Jacob Zuma has fallen and now Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has resigned.

Zimbabwe has lost a hero with the passing of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai (65), a colossal, brave and charismatic leader who tirelessly fought for democracy. Save, as Tsvangirai was affectionately known was undoubtedly the most effective opposition leader in Zimbabwe since independence. Tsvangirai dedicated his life to fighting autocracy. We share with you 10 of his profound quotes.

Jacob Zuma has finally announced his resignation as the State President of South Africa, after weeks of negotiations and boisterous calls for his stepping down. Reactions so far show the country is not at all sad to see him leave.

South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) has welcomed President Jacob Zuma's resignation as President of the country. The ANC saluted President Zuma’s “outstanding contribution” in the last nine years he served as President and his role in the party spanning over sixty years. Here is the full statement of the ANC following President Zuma’s resignation.

The National Portrait Gallery unveiled the official presidential likenesses of former US president Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama in a ceremony that was markedly different from those that went before

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma yesterday resigned as President of the country. "I have come to the decision to resign with immediate effect,” he said addressing the media following his recall by the African National Congress (ANC)’s NEC. Here is the full statement of President Zuma's letter of resignation.

Here’s how Donald Trump can deal with migrants and extremists

By
Anton du Plessis on December 16, 2016 — Before 8 November, the international security community was naively preparing for a Hillary Clinton presidency in the United States. Despite the hawkish public rhetoric, we knew her relatively progressive team recognised the value of a development approach to security issues.

We are now watching what an unpredictable president-elect Donald Trump does when he takes office in January 2017, particularly regarding the twin challenges of migration and violent extremism.

Our guidance to Trump, and to new United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres, is that the best way to beat terrorists is to improve the conditions in which their recruits live, thereby undermining their support base.

SDGs should top to-do lists of global leaders, including populists and the anti-globalisation brigade

The same goes for migration – tighter control of borders does nothing to address the drivers of this phenomenon. Not in Africa. Not in Mexico. Two decades of intensifying border enforcement by Mediterranean states did not alter the desire of people to get to Europe. It just changed their route and made the journey more hazardous.

Photo: UNHCR / A. D’Amato/ Flickr

The global community has a very good plan to simultaneously tackle the world’s development and security priorities. In September 2015, the UN General Assembly agreed on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), based on a consensus that international problems were best tackled domestically. It was a monumental achievement in global diplomacy.

The SDGs replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which since 2000 had been a driver of poverty reduction, improved maternal health and reduced child mortality. The MDGs kick-started a global movement for free primary education, and enabled huge strides in combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. MDG achievements include more than a billion people lifted out of extreme poverty, a halving of child mortality and a 40% drop in HIV/AIDS infections.

The SDGs are new goals to meet universal political, economic and environmental challenges. But they remain at the level of political commitment and don’t get enough attention in the forums where they matter the most.

Development based on global cooperation is precisely the route to improved global security

The dissonance began the day after the SDGs were first adopted in New York, at a counter-terrorism summit in the room next door, featuring all the UN’s member states. Nobody even mentioned the SDGs. They simply didn’t draw the link between development and security.

Part of the problem is that the development community doesn’t want to be connected to securocrats. For their part, the securocrats see the SDGs as a long-term ambition, benefitting other people far away, and not part of the security agenda.

Photo: UNHCR / B. Sokol/ Flickr

With their 169 distinct development targets, the SDGs are a bold global commitment that must not be allowed to wither. They should top the to-do list of all global leaders, including populists, mavericks and the new anti-globalisation brigade.

The SDGs are the epitome of global cooperation and represent everything that voters for Trump and Brexit have rejected. International commitments for the common good are the very opposite of Trump’s isolationism and protectionism and the sentiment of emerging right-wing leaders in Europe.

Dealing with migrants and terrorists, however, are among the biggest priorities of Trump and his allies. The best way to deal with these challenges is by working tirelessly to achieve the SDGs. They may appear to securocrats as fluffy long-term aspirations. But the opposite is true. Development based on global cooperation is precisely the route to improved global security.

The SDGs need to crop up not just at feel-good events like the 2015 Global Citizen festival in New York, featuring rock stars and slick celebrity videos. They need to be in the lexicon of the hawks.

The best way to give effect to the SDGs is to bring them into global security discussions

Of particular importance is Goal 16, which aspires to peace, justice and strong institutions. It recognises that sustainable development is not possible without human rights and effective governance based on the rule of law. Goal 16 is the entry point to all other SDG goals.

A state is defined as fragile when it has low capacity and poor performance with respect to security and development. Most people in Africa’s 20 fragile states are poor, experience high levels of violence, and suffer from economic exclusion, inequality and poor governance. These conditions are the drivers of terrorism and mass migration.

People living under decent conditions, in stable and fair societies, with local opportunities for a better life, are less likely to migrate or be lured into extremism. So the best way to give effect to the SDGs is to bring them into global security discussions, which prompt serious international responses and attract big budgets.

The SDGs are a recipe for Europe and America to work with African states to build economically successful nations. The SDGs also guard against Africa’s development budgets being cannibalised in favour of short-term security responses and reactionary measures to keep migrants out.

Development is what enables security, not the other way round. The SDGs are the best framework to achieve it. Let’s keep them on top of the agenda.

This article was originally published by Newsweek and republished by the Institute for Security Studies. Anton du Plessis is the Executive Director at ISS.